Find way to end Israel-Palestine conflict

The business community in Bangladesh strongly condemned the massacre of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli military.

In a joint press statement issued on Wednesday, six top trade bodies called for a settlement of the decades-old dispute to avoid further escalation, protect millions of displaced people, and ensure peace in the Middle East.

They are the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Bangladesh, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), and the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).

"Bangladesh businesses support and stand by Palestinians' right to self-determination, sovereignty, and independence," reads the press statement.

It said more than 14,200 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, of whom more than 9,700 were children and newborns.

"This is a systematic annihilation of a nation, never found in the history of mankind."

The statement said the Al-Shifa Hospital has become a graveyard for Palestinians and almost 1.6 million people have been displaced across the Gaza Strip since October 7.

It said Israel is comprehensively targeting civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, mosques, schools, and hospitals, sparing nothing in its brutal attacks on the Gaza Strip as part of a genocidal war while demonstrating a total disregard for the international calls for a ceasefire.

"In the name of fighting against the terrorists in Gaza, newborn babies, children, women, and civilians are being killed, under the protection and support of the superpowers. Under the Geneva Convention, the targeting of civilians is a war crime, no matter who does it," it said.

The trade bodies strongly support the UN Secretary General's efforts to provide access to humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

"We also support the UN Security Council calling for 'urgent and extended humanitarian pauses' in Gaza to address the escalating crisis for Palestinian civilians during Israel's aerial and ground attacks."

The statement said Bangladesh, Bolivia, South Africa, Comoros, and Djibouti have jointly requested the International Criminal Court to investigate the situation in the Palestinian territory.

"We endorse the joint request of the above five countries and hope that other nations will also join."